SK hynix-gas leakage

CHEONGJU, South Korea, March 22 (Yonhap) -- A small amount of chlorine gas leaked from a SK hynix Inc. semiconductor plant in the central city of Cheongju on Friday, with no injuries reported, fire officials and the company said.

The world's No. 2 memory chip maker, however, did not report the incident to authorities, fire officials said.

About one liter of chlorine gas leaked from one of the SK hynix factories in Cheongju, about 137 kilometers south of Seoul, around 10:20 a.m., officials said.

Fire officials, however, became aware of the incident four hours later, only after receiving an anonymous tip-off.

Company officials said it was a "minor incident" and that the facility was normalized around 11 a.m., adding that the employees have returned to work. There have been no reports of injuries or damage.

Police and fire officials are trying to determine the exact cause of the leakage and checking if the chlorine gas remains in the air.